Safety-catch.



H. H. HEDGES.

SAFETY CATCH. AYPLIUATION PILED AUG. 2s, 1911.

1,059,991 Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

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HOWARD H. HEDG-ES, OF BUTTE, MONTANA.

SAFETY-CATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

Application led August 28, 1911. Serial No. 646,382.

T 0 all fte/tom t may concern Be it known that l, HOWARD H. Hnnons, a citizen of the United States, residing at Butte, in the county of Silverbow and State of Montana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safety-Catches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to safety catches for jewelry pins and the like, and has for-an object to provide such a device which may be constructed of a minimum number of parts, involving the least complicated processes in manufacture, and a minimum of labor in assemblage; the object in attaining these ends being to produce a device of a minimum cost.

An important object of the invention is to provide a catch arranged for engagement with the hook keeper ordinarily used in jewelry of the class above mentioned, and

which, when in engaged position will present no point or projection tending to engage delicate fabrics to tear the same or abrade them, and may be readily operated for engagement or release of the pin point when disposed within the keeper.

A further object is to provide an eflicient form of keeper hook, adapted to provide an eliicient pivotal support for a safety guard catch, as well as means for holdingthe catch in closed position at times for manual release.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and from the drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of my invention, Fig. 2 is a front view thereof, Fig. 3 is a side view showing the device in engaged position, Fig. e is a side vie-w of a further form of the device, Fig. 5 is a front view of the same form, Fig. 6 is a sectional view of an additional modification.

There is shown in Fig. 1 a body 10 of a breast pin, having the usual form of pin 11 pivoted thereon, at one end, and provided with a keeper member 12 adjacent the opposite end, which will now be described.

The keeper comprises a plain strip` of sheet metal having the horizontal base porn tion 13 soldered or otherwise secured upon the pin, the corners at each end of the strip being suitably rounded off, and the lower end 14 being turned upwardly at the forward part as at 15, and provided with a journal aperture 141s for a purpose to be described. The major portion of the metal strip is extended upwardly from the rear l side of the base portion 14, and at a proper distance thereabove is curved inwardly and downwardly to form the keeper 16, the bill of which is disposed immediately above the pivot ear 15. The rear portion of the keeper 16 connecting it to the body portion la may be termed the shank 17, and this as well as the hook are provided with a continuous longitudinally extending groove 1S in their outer faces which may be struck in the hook if desired, to form the strengthening rib 19 upon the inner side thereof, the groove extending partly or completely to the end of the bill of the hook and to the base of the shank where it abuts the body portion 10 of the jewelry. The keeper member is disposed upon the body member 10 at such a position as to receive the point 11 of the pin 11 there through a suitable distance, the pin being under tension as customary, to bear outwardly against the inner side of the hook.

A suitable aperture 19 is formed at the rear side of the device, adjacent the base of the shank in alinement with the aperture 14: in the ear 15, and engaged revolubly therein is a shaft portion 2O of a wire guard and latch member arranged to extend across the space between the ear 15 and the bill of the hook 1G, engaging over the latter as will be described. The opposite extremity of the shaft 20 is turned upwardly to lie closely in the groove in the shank, as shown. The intermediate forward portion of the latch member is extended inwardly over the ear.

15 to a point adjacent the inner face of the shank, and thence turned sharply backward upon itself to form the guard tongue 21, the wire being continued outwardly to a point adjacent the bill of the hook, where it is turned upwardly and curved over the bill of the hook and downwardly against the shank, lying closely in the groove of the hook shank all the way. The tongue 21 gives resilience to the device in operation, in addition to forming a guard to retain the pin in the upper portion of the hook, as will readily be understood. The curved portion 22 of the latch is under tension causing it to bear forcibly against the bill and shank, holding it securely in the groove. The groove is preferably of such depth that a portion of the wire projects outwardly thereof, espe cially at the upper portion of the bight of the hook, so that by the engagement of the finger nail of a person against the inner side thereof it may be readily pressed later'ally outward longitudinally of the pin 11 when it may fall to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, allowing the release of the pin for detachment from a garment or other support.

In Figs. 4L and 5 there is shown a modiication of the device in which the keeper member is formed with the base portion lll bearing the same relation to the body mem.- ber 10 as before described, but the junction of the shank 17 and the hook 16 form a more or less abrupt angle 23, at the rear portion of the bight of the hook. rIhe bill of the hook is curved downward in approximately the vsame manner as that on the form of hook before described, and itis not found necessary to form a groove in either the hook or the shank. As before, this keeper may be formed of a short strip of sheet metal, and at the forward edge of the plate 14 the strip is turned upward, curved inwardly, and bifurcated, forming eyes as at 24, revoluble in one of which is the laterally curved portion 25 of a guard latch 26, having a tongue portion 21 formed thereon in approximately the same form as the tongue 2l before described. The upper portion of the latch member extends closely over the upper face of the hook member as an arm 26 and downward past the angle 23, just a sufficient distance to prevent it from becoming casually disengaged. The extremity lof the latch wire is turned outwardly slightly, and then inwardly upon itself, to form a terminal lift 27, the actual end of the wire abutting snugly against the shank at the base y of the hook, and holding the device safely against casual disengagement. INhen it is desired to release the latch for engagement of the pin therein, the finger nail may be engaged with the lift 27 at the end of the wire, and forcing it upwardly and outwardly from the hook. The pin 1l may then be engaged within the hook, and the guard latch pressed back to engaged position, where the end of the wire will snap into place behind the shank. If so desired the inturned end of the upper end of the latch member abutting against the shank immediately below the angle 23 may be `depended upon entirely for the retention of the device against outward movement, in conjunction with the tendency of the arm 26 to bear down upon the top of the hook member. The lift 27 extends diagonally with respect to the immediately adjacent portion of the arm 26, and is adapted to facilitate the ready movement of the latch over the bill when pressed there against so that it will readily slide into place when forced inwardly.

In Fig. 9 there is illustrated a modification of the form shown in Fig. 4, in which the lift 27 is formed intermediately of the arm 26. Y

That is claimed is: g

In a device of the class described a keeper comprising a base, a shank extended there from, a hook member formed upon the shank and having a bill presented toward and spaced from the base, a resilient wire latch member pivoted upon the base and eX- tended upwardly, thence inwardly adjacent to the shank,and outwardly in proximity to the bill, thence being curved upwardly and inwardly over the bill in conformity with the shape of and tending to bear against the outer face of the hook for retention of the latch member yieldably in engagement with the hook as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HOWARD I-I. HEDGES.

Vitnesses:

J. A. EACEY, E. STERRETT SHIELDS.

, Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

